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6
Beverage Media
December 2012
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Photograph by Thomas Mangieri
It Gets Personal
By now, many of our readers have heard of the passing of a
member of our industry, Mr. David Taub, the Chairman &
CEO of Palm Bay International. In business, it is certainly cus-
tomary to acknowledge a gentleman of his stature. But for the
majority of the thousand or more people at his funeral service,
I know it went far beyond busi-
ness. David was the kind of guy
that walked through a room and
brought out nothing but smiles
and respect.
I was drawn to David from
the first moment I met him, and
it wasn’t business. We went to
high school together.
Our condolences to his fam-
ily and friends at Palm Bay, who
will continue his good work.
Jody Slone-Spitalnik
Chief Operating Officer
William G. Slone
Chairman
Looking Back & Forward
The end of the year is a time to be reflective, thankful, and to look
forward to what’s in store for the year ahead. In this issue, we recap
a number of industry events. Of particular note was the American
Cancer Society’s 35
th
Annual Wine & Spirits Gala, which hon-
ored David and Marc Taub of Palm Bay International with the
2012
Dr. Louis Berger Memorial Award. The Metro Package Store
Association held its annual dinner in Howard Beach with Senate
Majority Leader Dean Skelos on hand to address the attendees.
Many Fall portfolio tasting events were also held throughout New
York City, offering a diverse selection of wines and spirits. Our
Around Town coverage begins on page 58. Wishing you a very
happy, healthy and prosperous holiday season!
Hope
As we move through concerns of family and friends affected by
the hurricane, I wanted to offer a few words of hope. So many in
our industry—distributors, retailers, bars and restaurants—clearly
suffered a broad range of damage. But I believe their odds of re-
covery are clearly increased by two elements: They are part of the
hospitality business, and they are local.
As noted in our Special Report on page 8, the days follow-
ing Sandy will be remembered as much for the community and
industry’s response as it will be for the actual physical damage
it caused. Take, for example, Fedway Associates, our wholesaler
friends just across the river in New Jersey. First, total devastation:
their warehouse building and millions of dollars of inventory were
crushed from a 10-foot tidal surge. Then, in the days following: an
overwhelming swell of support from every side of our business—
drivers, warehouse people, salesman, even customers—all pitch-
ing in. Net result: shipping to start the week of 19
th
and back to
full operation by the first week in December. Totally unimaginable
on November 1
st
.
There are so many heroic stories. While all may not be able to
get back on their feet as quickly as Fedway, undoubtedly they will
eventually find their way. And that’s because our industry people
are always the first responders to our industry friends who are fac-
ing real challenges.
Jason A. Glasser
Chief executive officer
personal
page
David Taub